Ore-concentrator.



S. R. SWAIN. ORE CONCENTRATOR. APPLICATION, FILED FEB. s, 1907.

962,990. Patented June 28, 1910.

3 $HBETS-SHEET l.-

I 741 attorney S. R. SWAIN. ORE CONUENTRATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. e,1907.

Patented June 28,1910

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

s. R. SWAIN. ORE GONGENTRATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1907.

Patented June 28, 1910.

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,, IIIIVIIIl/l!flllwwf rlrrllfir114271!!!Irffllllllfllllllf II/lllllwucufoz miner) STATES PATENT oEEm sETHE swam, or DENVER, COLORADO,ASSIGNOR 'ro THE swam cou'onn'rnawoa- COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFCOLORADO.

\ citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the countyofDenver and State" of Colorado, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Ore-Concentrators,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in ore concentrators.

The object of my invention is to economically and eii'ectively separateand save the heavier mineral particles from the lighter ones in an ore.

This invention is adapted to, and particularly devised for, treating thevery finest particles, but is not limited to that size. The generalprinciples are such as are used in nature, with mechanical additions toperfeet and make continuous the operation.

The tendency of crushed ore in water is to settle as soon as it ispossible for it to do so, and he settling is retarded. in proportion tothe rapidity of the flow of the mixture. It will be well to remark thatfor an ore mixture in water, in 'a confined space, the natural andproper shake or motion of the material to keep it loose and allow of thesettling of the heavier particles to the bottom is slow and quite longfor the finest sizes, while shorter-and quicker movements are given asthe particles increase in size or in weight. This is the naturaltendency in washing with a gold pan, and experiment has proved .it to becorrect in all cases.

Particles of ore in water will settle quickly in a. pool or pond, and inflowing currents finer particles will come to thebottom with eachdiminution of current, and the less the current, the less will be thescouring or moving force of the current on settled particles. In amixture (ore and water), confined in a mechanical pond, ashakingmovement can be given if carefully regulated, that will keep the mixtureloose enough to allow of the settling of the heavier minerals, and

hold the lighter ones in suspension, and at the same time not be violentenough to move the heavier mineral particles, when once in contact withthe bottom of the pond. This regulation -18 accomplished by thecombination of the length and of the number of shakes per minute.

A plane surface, influenced h a progress ive motion, will force fOl'WdI"in the line of progression any susceptible material in ORE-CONCENTRATOR.

specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 28,1910. Applicationfiled February 6, 1907. Serial No. 356,100.'

contact with it; this applies either to a dry surface, or to one onwhich the material is submerged, but material underwater will progressslower and be influenced by water currents and eddies. The particles orma terial will travel faster and with more precision when in masses oraccumulations, than when isolated as individuals. When en masse eachpiece helps its immediate neighbor, not only ahead in the line ofprogression, but as to speed; while as individuals, owing toirregularities of surface con tact, each piece is less susceptible tothe progressive movement; Thus it is that the par- 'ticles to be cleanedand saved should be kept en masse to be best controlled, Y

My invention is to cause, with the smallest possible surface, an idealsettling arrangement,'by using a surface current over the entire area,thereby lessening the force ofthe carrying or surface current; and alsoa correct mechanical motion to allow the heavier particles 'to settle ona submerged surface or bottom; and another motion to cause the.aforesaid heavy particles to continuously move away on this submergedsurface, to a proper receptacle, while the lighter particles will flow,also continuously, away in the surface current already mentioned.

In explaining the device, use will be made of the term side-shake, forthe settling movement, but it is undcrstoodthat I do not confine myselfto such a movement, and will,

or may, use a rotary movement or a differential side-shake, or any othermeans for imparting this particular motion; also that the progressivemovement used may be. either an accelerated, differential or othermovement that will progress material in contact with a surface..Therefore I do not limit myself to any specified mechanical combinationto effect these two movements, nor, except in a general way, to limitmyself to the settling or to the progressive motions' It is understoodthat the proper progressiv'e motion'forthe purpose mentioned above ,isshort and ivery .quick'for the finest material and a proportional longerand slower one as the material increases in size. The settling motion isthe opposite requiring" a long, slower movement for fine material and a:quicker, shorter'stroke for increased sizes and weights. I propose touse both movements acting at an angle to each other, each doing its proer proportion of the work, but

with no inter erence, and the two movements 'to be so arranged as toallow of different speeds for each, or, at least, difi'erent proportionsof speed of one motion, compared with the other. For instance, shouldthe progressive motion be three hundred revolutions per minute, theside-shake or settlin motion ma be ad'usted as circumg y l .line L-L ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on the line MM of Fi Fig. 6 is a section onthe line N-N'of ig. 1".

The deck is, preferably, a rectangular (but is not limited to thatshape) water-tight table, set so that the movement end at A is somewhatlower than at B along the tailing side is fastened a fillet D -taper edto accommodate the depth at A, thus giving a level surface along thetailing side from the movement end to B.

F is a high board along the movement end, and G the same on the feedside, both being of sufficient height to provide against splash orspill.

The deck, from the point B to the end 0, is a plane surface or it mightbe a surface with slight grooves in it, and is flexible so that byadjustment it can be bent or warped, making its end corners or endcenter high or low, as circumstances mayrequire.

H is the feed box, where the crushed ore, mixed with water, is supplied.

I The wash waterfeed L is movable so that it can be placed where it willgive the best results.

It will be understoodfrom the foregoing that the deck will be composedofa pond bounded by the high walls F and G, and a level dam D, onthetailing 'side. The pond is deep at A, because of the slight lnclinationof the table in that direction and it shallows gradually to nothing atB, which is its other boundary, and which is about on a level with thedam. From the point B to the end of the deck, is a surface lWhlCh isflexible, and which maybe highei -or lower at either corner, or thecenter,' than it is at the point B Attached .to the deck, at aconvenient point or points on the feed-side, is a mechanism to give it areciprocal motion from side to side, or rotary or such similarmoveobIique or at an angle with the line of pro- 7 ment that will-causesettling. I To the movement end and actin toward the concentrate end isattached a progressive motion that will progress particles on itssurface toward the concentrate end. 1 The mechanism for impartingprogressive motion consists of a shaft 1 on which is mounted a pulley 2connected with a suitable source of power (not shown) and a rod 3 at--tached to one end of the table and connected with the shaft by means ofan eccentric 4:- A gear wheel 5 at the end of shaft 1 meshes with a gearwheel 5 on shaft 6, extending inthe direction of the length of thetable, to

which shaft are connected rods 7 and 8, by

means of eccentrics, said rods being designed to impart lateral motionto the table.

Reference has already been made in considerable detail to theprogressive and settling motions, and further particulars will be givenfollowing the technical description of the table. ii

The tailing. side is to be set level, or so that any excess of waterfeed, on to the deck, will flow toward that side and dis- 0 charge in aneven film the length of the tailing side from the movement end to BTransversely the deck is set level,

or about so, at the point B Boundin the pond is one low side and one lowen the low end for the continuous discharge of the settled material byprogression, and the low side for the discharge of waste or lightmaterial in suspension.

The bottom of the pond may have a slight inclination toward thefeed-side, or may be level, and it may be a smooth plane surface, or maycontain slight grooves, and may combine both inclination and grooves.The object of both inclination and grooves, if used, would be to causeany desired particles, that had settled near the dam on the tailing-sideto be influenced away fromthe dam, toward the feed-side where en massethey would be 1 more susceptible to the progressive motion.

Any adjustment of inclination to the pond bottom, or the making in itofslight grooves, is for the purpose of accumulat-' ing, in a more 'orless compact mass, the settled material, thus making that material moresusceptible to progressive motion.

In Figs. 1 and 1 of the drawings, I have also shown the apron as beingprovided with grooves. These grooves on the table proper and on theapron may be parallel with the line of progression as shown at 9 and'10, respectively, in Fig. 1; or they may be gression as shown at 11 and12 in Fig. 1".

The dam D is made of suflicient width that it may if desired be formedinto a set of terraces, T, T, thenumber' not limited, each terrace,considering the number used, a proportionate height of the dam at themovement-end, and regularly tapering to nothing at the opposite end. atB These steps or terraces will present, on the inner or pond side, acomparatively long, gentle slope, broken by the steps, the slope beingless abrupt as the height lessens. This arrangement will present anideal slope for the waves, caused by the side-shake ,while the stepswill prevent the scouring over the dam of settled material on thebottom, close to the dam. The steps or terraces are not limited innumber or width; they may be either wider or narrower at either end, orslightly curved in their length, and maybe parallel to the tailing side,or at an angle to it either way.

The settling motion imparted in one direction produces small waves orripples moving toward the tailings side. The tendency of the waves is totravel faster in deep water where there is less friction, and slower inshallow water, and therefore the wave crest on arrival at the dam is atan angle of about' 45 degrees to the outer edge of the dam. On thereturn trip little or no wave-is generated from the tailings side, for,owing to the transverse inclination of the dam, there is nothing tocause the amount of compression necessary to produce such a wave. Thusitwill be seen that the dam, tapering longitu-, dinally, serves toconfine the water in a pond of gradually decreasing depth, and owing toits peculiar formationtin that it represents a surface the elevation ofwhich decreases transversely), the production of a wave traveling fromthe tailings side is prevented. An abrupt elevation of any character,sumcient to. properly confine-the water on the tailings side, or otherconstruction producing undesirable agitation, would seriously interferewith the settling of the material.

In using a concentrating table of this type,

if a, settling stroke a little too long were employed, it would bring tothe surface or near the surface certain particles which should be savedand not washed over the top of the dam. In order to prevent such waste,steps or terraces may be used, which on account of the uneven surfacepresented by them to the water, cause certain eddies andcountercurrents. These eddies and currents serve to deflect the mineralsand prevent them from being washed over the dam.

The action of a concentrator, as above constructed, would be about as.follows: The

pulp, fed on at the feed box H, would be.

pond, allowing the heavier particles to settle to contact with thebottom. The continued feed into the pond would also, assisted by theside-shake of the settling movement, cause a flow over the level surface of the dam on the tailing side. The progressive movement, regulatedfor the workbeing performed, will cause the heavier particles, incontact with the bottom of the pond,'to move toward, the concentrateend, traveling up the slight incline of the pond bottom, to the pointgll, wher by the flexible apron, transverse inclination is given, and bythe influence of the wash water, a final cleaning of minerals will bequickly effected, the desired mineral falling oil the end into areceptacle, while the undesirable material is caused to flow to anotherpoint. In the pond the continued feed is forced, by the. setting of thedeck, to

spread out, and the how, which is a thin film over the surface, presentsa minimum depth, and allows of the settling through it into the deadwater of the pond of all particles, when thus impounded the properlooseness or consistency is maintained by the settling movement, andsettled material is prevented from being carried over the dam from theaction of the wave-motion by the terraces or steps on the inside of thedam. These are tapered from the movement end tonothing at B, thusallowing only very fine material to pass over at the deep part of thedam, while the coarserparticles are discharged as the dam decreases inheight and the pond shallows.

It is absolutely necessary that, with the use of the pending feature,both a settling and a progressive motion be used in combination, for,without both, nothing practical would be accomplished, and withouteither a continuous operation will not re sult. Owing to the varied oresthat may be washed and their different composition, etc, I. do not wishto limit the kind of motions to be used, except in the general terms ofro ressive motion and settlin motion j p D 3 sary for all of theabove-mentioned comhinations.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side and to convey concentrates toward one end and dischargethem therefrom, a table proper, and a dam on the tailings side thereof,said dam presenting a surface the elevation of which above the tabledecreases transversely toward the feed side and longitudinally towardthe concentrate end.

2. In a concentrating table adapted to dis- .and discharge themtherefrom, a table proper, and a terraced dam on the tailings sidethereof, said dam presenting a surface the elevation of which above thetable decreases transversely toward the feed side and longitudinallytoward the concentrate end.

' 4. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side and convey concentrates toward one end and discharge themtherefrom, a table proper inclined longitudinally, and a terraced dam onthe tailings side thereof, said dam presenting a surface the elevationof which above the table decreases transversely toward the feed side andlongitudinally to- Ward the concentrate end, the upper outer edge of thedam being level.

5. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transversely'over one side and convey concentrates toward one end and discharge themtherefrom, a table proper having a ritHed surface, and a dam on thetailin s side thereof, said dam presenting a sur ace the elevation ofwhich above the table decreases transversely toward the feed side andlongitudinally toward the concentrate end.

6. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side trate 'end,

and convey concentrates toward one end and discharge them therefrom, atable proper having a 'riffled surface, and a dam on the tailings sidethereof, said dam presenting a surface the elevation of which above the,

table decreases transversely toward the feed side and longitudinallytoward the concenthe upper outer edge of the ,dam being level.

7. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side and convey concentrates toward one end and discharge themtherefrom, a table proper, a dam on the tailings side thereof, said dampresenting a surface the elevation of which above the table decreasestransversely to ward the feed side and longitudinally toward theconcentrate end, the upper outer edge of the dam being level, a flexibleapron constituting the concentrate end ofthc table, means for impartinga progressive motion and means for imparting a settling motion to thetable.

9. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side and convey concentrates toward one end and discharge themtherefrom, a table proper,

a dam on the tailings side thereof, said dam presenting a surface theelevation of which above the table decreases transversely toward thefeed side, and a flexible apron constituting the concentrate end of thetable.

10. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side and convey concentrates toward one end and discharge themtherefrom, a table proper, a dam on the tailings side thereof, said dampresenting asurface the elevation of which above the table decreasestoward the feed. side, and a flexible and adjustable apron constitutingthe concentrate end of the table.

1i. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side and convey concentrates toward one end and discharge themtherefrom, a table proper, a dam 011 the tailings side thereof, said dampresenting a surface the elevation of which above the table decreasestransversely toward the feed side, and a flexible apron located at theconcentrate end, beyond the point at which the dam terminates, andconstituting a continuation of the separating surface.

12. In an ore concentrator, a table adapted to discharge tailingstransversely over one side and convey concentrates toward one end anddischarge them therefrom, a dam on the tailings side thereof, said dampresenting a surface the elevation of which above the table decreasestransversely toward the feed side and longitudinally toward theconcentrate end, means for imparting a progressive moiion and means forimparting a settling motion to the table.

13. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side i and to convey concentrates toward one end, a tableproper, an abrupt wallon one side thereof, and a dam on the tailingsside opposite the wall, said dam presenting a sureeaeeo 5 face theelevation of which above the table transversely toward said well and"longitudinally toward the concentrate end; a

14. In a concentrating table adapted to discharge tailings transverselyover one side "nd to convey concentrates toward one end,

ev table pro 1', an abrupt wall on one side .0 surface the elevation ofwhich above the table decreases transversely toward said well singlongitudinally toward the concentrate 4 I In testimony whereof I havesigned my nameto thisspecitication in the presence of 1-5 twosubscribing witnesses.

J SETH R. SWAIN. Witnesses:

FISKE, C ARK GROVE. 1

